Our Mission

OUR MISSION

The United Reformed Church has adopted a mission statement, put forward originally by the Anglican church, which promotes “5 marks of mission”. These are as follows, with an indication of how we at Emmanuel attempt to live them out so that we may “be Christ’s people, transformed by the Gospel, making a difference to the world.”

To proclaim the good news of the Kingdom.
This is central to our worship in which we honour Christ whose Kingdom is coming and which we are called to anticipate. We pray every week, “your kingdom come” and bear witness to that Kingdom in word and deed in our worship, our care for one another, our cafe, exhibitions and concerts, and in the use to which we put our premises.

To teach, baptize and nurture new believers.
Through our weekly worship and also through house-groups and our Christian education programme, we aim to challenge people with the Christian Gospel and to nurture one another in the faith.

To respond to human need by loving service.
We encourage one another to respond to human need in our weekly giving and in what practical ways we can. Our café project, run in conjunction with “Eddie’s” (a local charity to support people with learning disabilities), is a mutually enriching environment in which people with special needs are empowered and grow in self-confidence.

To transform the unjust structures of society.
Our understanding of the Christian Gospel is one in which Christ says, “Behold, I make all things new!” This involves contending for change which we do, for example, by our Fair Trade stall and our use of Fairly Traded goods in our café, by supporting a “Special Cause” each month, by contributing to Cambridge City Food Bank and in our support for the Street Pastors initiative. We have also been involved in promoting Christian Aid, supporting tax justice and other campaigns, writing to MPs, and promoting justice and equality in our exhibitions.

To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, to sustain and renew the life of the earth.
The Christian Gospel proclaims “a new heaven and a new earth” and is as ecological as it is social, political and “spiritual”. We do our best to be a “green” church (not easy in a Victorian building), to be conscientious in our use of resources and to encourage one another to be responsible in our varied life-styles.

All these are undergirded by daily prayers and a monthly prayer diary.